


Nebulae

by Nerdling_Queen



Series: starfire verse [3]
Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Ryn's Multiverse
Genre: Bisexual Female Character, Character(s) of Color, Developing Relationship, F/F, Feels, Femslash, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Girls Kissing, Implied/Referenced Dubious Consent, Implied/Referenced Sex, Oh my god I love these two so much, POV Female Character, Pansexual Character, Past Relationship(s), Past Unhealthy Relationship, Pre-Femslash, Prophetic Dreams, Relationship Negotiation, Rhia POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-12
Updated: 2016-01-12
Packaged: 2018-05-13 00:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5687548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdling_Queen/pseuds/Nerdling_Queen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(aka: Missing Scene from "Observing Galaxies" #1.)</p><p>"We're talking about this later."<br/>"Deal."</p><p>-----</p><p>They talk about it.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	Nebulae

**Author's Note:**

> This in itself is just a oneshot, but this story might become a multi-chapter saga of the evolution of Rhilyn. Right now, though, I just want to cover the missing scene from "Observing Galaxies"- the one where Kaitlyn and Rhia actually talk about what their relationship is and what it could be. It was never actually shown, but it happened in that two-week window of Aidan recovering from Hell, and they were a whole lot more shippy after it. So: here it is.  
> I hope you're friggin' happy, Fraka. :D

The primary concern, for the first few days, is Aidan. (And that's nothing new, they've all been through that before, they've all been anchors.) But after the first four or five days, he doesn't need all of them in constant attendance anymore; the Adlers stick around, and Clary refuses flat-out to leave, so Rhia and Kaitlyn are the ones to bow out for the moment.

Magnus is out somewhere, maybe with a client or something, Rhia isn't sure. But it means that she and Kaitlyn are alone in the apartment (well, outside of Aidan's locked bedroom, anyway). There is no better time.

But Rhia's throat feels thick, and her eyes won't meet Kaitlyn's.

She shouldn't be scared. She's faced down the Bane and came out alive, and she's handled Aidan at his soulful worst. She should be  _fine._

Except.

Well, Aidan was the last _lasting_ romantic relationship she's had. And considering he was also her first, well...

She hasn't had a lot of experience in relationships that she wants to last more than a few nights.

And it's more than that, even, because she  _likes_ Kaitlyn. It's all sudden, she knows, but she knew Aidan for less before they kissed. (Granted, it was mostly because of the adrenaline, but hey- it lead to good things.) And Rhia  _knows_ she gets too loyal too quickly. When she cares for someone, she won't leave until they make her. (Which isn't healthy, and again, something she got from Aidan. But she knew what she was getting into with that man.) With Kaitlyn... with an ex-anchor, a warlock... this could go so badly.

But. 

That dream.

_|Rhia shoves her mouth against someone else’s, feels their fingers in her hair and sees silver and feels rough wood under her back|_

That.

Silver. And warm. And strong.

 _(and the doorways in Magnus' loft are perfect for making out in, but that's not important right now_ )

She breathes in, uselessly, and expels it. "So... I think we have some stuff to talk about."

Kaitlyn's green eyes are steady. "I'd say so."

She walks over to Magnus' kitchenette and snaps her fingers, summoning a coffee with the Starbucks logo. Rhia wrinkles her nose, but she waits as Kaitlyn takes a few sips and then stares down at the swirling liquid, breathing quietly, emotions shifting across her face like clouds across a sky. Finally she puts her coffee down on the counter behind her, meets Rhia's eyes, and says flatly, "Why did you do that?"

Rhia twists her fingers together. "I had a Seer dream," she starts. "I... they, they're... disturbing, and terrifying, and confusing. When I'd get them with Li- Aidan, he'd hold me until I readjusted. I've... gotten better at dealing with them, especially since they come less now I'm a vampire, but... it's easier with human contact." She pauses. "And the human contact I adjusted to was... pretty much entirely romantic. So... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I... it was an unconscious action."

Kaitlyn stares at her. "You told me to deny you. That isn't subconscious."

Rhia winces. "Yeah, that..." She looks at the floor. "That was me trying to... avert the reaction. I... consciously, I knew there needed to be consent, but the bit of me that's used to getting held or kissed after- that bit wanted... wanted familiar contact. So." She folds her hands, twists her fingers against each other and watches the brown skin lighten with pressure. "That's why I did it."

There is a silence, broken only by Kaitlyn taking a few sips of coffee and breathing. Rhia waits, head bowed, and feels like she did when she was taken to temple with her parents as a young girl, praying to an alter. Praying for penance.

"I see," Kaitlyn says. "But why did you tell me to say  _no_?"

Rhia looks up, confused, about to say again  _Because I needed your consent,_ and stops- Kaitlyn is close, almost too close; and- why  _did_ she tell Kaitlyn to say no?

"...I thought, if I didn't, you'd say yes," she says finally, looking into Kaitlyn's eyes. "And... if you're going to kiss me... I wanted it to be because you wanted to kiss me, not because I needed someone to give me contact."

Kaitlyn smiles. "There it is," she breathes, and runs her fingers along Rhia's dark arm, slipping her fingers under the hem of her sleeve. Her hooded eyes flick up to Rhia's. "And... when you wanted that kiss..." she starts, fingers skating up under Rhia's loose sleeve, "was it a one-time offer?"

Rhia swallows stupidly. "No," she whispers, hoarse, and Kaitlyn grins, and her fingers curl around Rhia's elbow.

"Good," she murmurs, and her mouth is  _so close,_ and

Rhia lifts onto her tiptoes and brushes her mouth across Kaitlyn's cheekbone, sliding it across her jaw and under her ear. "What do  _you_ want out of this, Miss Monedha?" she asks.

Kaitlyn shudders, Rhia's cold breath slipping over her neck. "Depends," she replies, fingers sliding out of Rhia's sleeve so as to wrap loosely around her hip. "How long do you want this to last?" Her other hand cups the back of Rhia's neck, and they're still so close, and Rhia can hear and smell the hot pulse of blood under Kaitlyn's skin, and she's so damn warm against Rhia-

"How long _can_ it last?" Rhia asks, not quite playing anymore. She rubs her nose against Kaitlyn's cold silver hair and lets the point of one fang just barely scrape over the thin, fragile skin by Kaitlyn's ear. 

Kaitlyn's body thrums, pulse quick but steady. "Well..." she says consideringly, voice admirably even when Rhia starts dropping kisses along her neck again, "I'm hoping for more than a one-night stand, or a few, to be honest; but I'll take that if it's all that's on the table." Her voice doesn't tremble once. Rhia resolves to find a way to change that.

"If you're up for it," Rhia says, right against the shell of Kaitlyn's ear, "there is a whole lot more than a few nights on the table."

Kaitlyn's fingers tighten around Rhia's hip, tangle in her dark hair and tug her head away from Kaitlyn's neck so they can make eye contact. Kaitlyn's green eyes are burning.

"Well then," she says, "what do you propose?"

Rhia grins, and presses closer, fingers cinching together at the base of Kaitlyn's spine. "To start," she murmurs, and they're so close again, "I think I ought to make good on my offer."

She brushes her mouth over Kaitlyn's smile, teasingly, before Kaitlyn's fingers tighten in her hair and then they're kissing,  _really_ kissing, and Rhia is very glad that she doesn't need to breathe.

Everything is warm, like she's wrapped in a heated blanket, and even the cold brushes of Kaitlyn's silver hair against Rhia's skin can't break the spell or dull the sweet fire. It feels fantastic.  _God,_ she's missed that feeling, hot liquid sweetness replacing the stagnant blood in her veins and making her insides glow. Maybe it's something to do with warlock magic, or maybe it's just because Kaitlyn and Aidan are _Kaitlyn_ and _Aidan_.

When Kaitlyn tugs away to breathe, Rhia presses her mouth to the curve of her jaw, follows the angles, and ends up under her ear again. She sucks on the earlobe, squeezes at Kaitlyn's hip. Murmurs, "I do believe there's a free bed in your motel room."

Kaitlyn grins, gasping a little. "It's a queen," she says, and pushes Rhia back. "Can't walk if we're kissing," she points out, and Rhia smirks.

"Won't know unless you try."

"I have tried," Kaitlyn deadpans. "It ends in bruises, and not the fun kind." She snaps her fingers: the coffee disappears and a slip of paper sits on the counter. Rhia glances at it in passing:  _Rhia and I have gone out, be back sometime_ \- and smiles. 

She reaches for Kaitlyn's hand. "Let's go show your bed a good time."

Kaitlyn laces their fingers together. Her green eyes are twinkling. Rhia hopes the sugar-sweet hotness in her ribcage will stay. "Let's."

**Author's Note:**

> #Rhilyn~


End file.
